Chappaqua's Bill Clinton Stumps For Hillary In Fairfield County

Clinton greets onlookers outside the fundraiser.Photo Credit: Meredith GuinnessFormer President Bill Clinton gets out of his car to take a selfie with 15-year-old Kevin Pelletier before appearing at a fundraiser in Black Rock.Photo Credit: Meredith GuinnessClinton strides across Grovers Avenue to greet fans waiting in the cold.Photo Credit: Meredith GuinnessA crowd of about 10 people await the arrival of former President Bill Clinton in Black Rock.Photo Credit: Meredith GuinnessShuttles bring people to the fundraiser where Bill Clinton appeared in Black Rock.Photo Credit: Meredith GuinnessThe former president's motorcade turns into the driveway of a Bridgeport fundraiser.Photo Credit: Meredith Guinness

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A crowd of about 20 people waited Tuesday on Grovers Avenue in Black Rock neighborhood of Bridgeport, Conn., to get a glimpse at former President Bill Clinton as he arrived for a fundraiser across the street to support his wife Hillary’s presidential campaign.

The event was held at the newly constructed waterfront home of software executive Oni Chukwu.

Guests reportedly paid $2,700 each to rub elbows with the former president, who was expected to pose for photos.

The people waiting outside weren't disappointed. Clinton's motorcade arrived at 4:30 p.m., and he got out of his car and — with Secret Servicemen at his side — crossed the street and shook hands and took selfies with excited fans.

"I'm really late," Clinton said, adding he couldn't stay too long.

The former president patiently smiled for dozens of cellphone photos, asking a small child, "What's your name?" before waving and heading back to the motorcade.

"Well, that was worth it," said Bill Pelletier, who lives across the street. "That's what they're paying $2,700 for!'

Pelletier stood in the light rain with his wife, Maureen, and some of his seven children. John Torres, whose father Rick was the Republican hopeful for mayor last year, stopped by around 4 p.m. to say he couldn't stay, but he encouraged the Pelletiers to be patient.

"Best-case scenario? You get to see Bill Clinton," he said.

Torres' mother, who runs Harborview Market with her husband, spent some of the day making her famous oversized cookies for the party, Maureen Pelletier said.

"Isn't that cool?" she said.

The Black Rock event comes just weeks before the first presidential caucus on Feb. 1 in Iowa.

Clinton’s Connecticut visit is a homecoming of sorts. Bill and Hillary Clinton first met as students at Yale Law School in New Haven.

Formerly the executive vice president of Westport-based Triple Point Technology, Chukwu was appointed president and CEO of etouches in September 2013. Founded as an event management company in 1998, etouches has since evolved into an award-winning software company with a global headquarters in Norwalk.

As the presidential campaign heads into primary season, Clinton’s closest competitor, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, claimed the Clinton campaign was in “serious trouble.” In fact, a Quinnipiac University poll released Tuesday showed Sanders leading Clinton in Iowa with 49 percent of the vote over Clinton’s 44 percent.

That represents a 9-point increase for Sanders and a 7-point drop for Clinton since the last Quinnipiac poll a month ago.